Forgotten Hero
by ibnatz16
Summary: Albus Potter has never fit in with the rest of the kids at Hogwarts, so when he is sent back in time and given a purpose, will he want to leave? Time-travel fic, Marauders. No ships except slight mention of the canon couples. T for slight cursing and violence.
1. The Botched Potion

_Hogwarts, May 2nd_

Professor Neville Longbottom stood at the podium with a solemn face, watching the students file into the Great Hall. It was the Second Wizarding War Memorial Day. When the entire hall got quiet, the headmaster took a deep breath and, in a mellow tone, spoke, "As all of you know, this day is marked in history as a victory for those who opposed Lord…Voldemort's regime. That is not to say that it was a victory in all ways. We lost so many in such little time, and thus today, like every year since the year after the Battle of Hogwarts, we shall… take a moment of silence to remember those who died for the Second Wizarding War. Especially that of one of our greatest headmasters, Professor Severus Snape." There were gasps in the audience, hearing the supposed Death Eater's name, but Albus Severus Potter was unfazed. Every speech since the first one he heard three years ago included Snape's name. He was at first confused by the proceedings because even though Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived was his father, he didn't say much about the war because he didn't want to.

Severus Snape… The name always plagued his thoughts in these speeches. The name that was attached to his very own name. Around the Slytherin table, Albus didn't hear much, but the other houses kept muttering 'murderer' and 'dark wizard.' So, why did Professor Longbottom, someone who fought against dark wizards, hold the name in such high esteem? Why did his father name him after this man? It's as if the history from less than twenty years ago was lost…

After a moment of silence, everyone continued with their quiet breakfast and shuffled out of the Great Hall to start their Saturday activities. The students went outside to enjoy the fresh air, but Albus was never an outdoorsy person to begin with, so he left his classmates to recede into the common room.

Even as a fourth year, he felt like he didn't fit in with the others. The Slytherins were far too critical and judgmental of their peers that Albus feared talking to them, and the other houses' members stereotyped him too much for him to spend any effort to change their minds, even if his father was famous. At least he could depend somewhat on Scorpius, but they were steadily growing apart as Albus was more interested in academics than Quidditch.

He just wished there was someone like him, an outsider. Everyone was either trying to be his friend because of his dad, or they had vastly different opinions about the world than him.

 _It was time to take action_ , he thought. _I am going to go to the courtyard and try to find some new friends. Fourth year isn't too late to make friends, right?_ He was walking with those thoughts in his head and was too distracted to see a clumsy Hufflepuff walking down the corridor with vial of an odd colored potion. Albus bumped into his hand and the vial tipped over his robes. It distracted him, and he turned to say sorry, but in a futile attempt because the boy had disappeared in a thick fog. Albus fell unconscious onto the floor as an ominous, black cloud covered his entire vision.

Slowly waking up, Albus heard shuffling around the foot of his… bed? The last thing he remembered was collapsing to the floor of the Entrance Hall. He slowly opened his eyes to see a blurry image of the hospital wing. He tried to sit up, but pain shot through him so violently that he was forced to lie back down.

"Don't try to get up yet, dear. A right nasty fall you had," a young woman said. He didn't recognize her, but she was wearing the same robes as Madame Longbottom.

"Do I know you?" Albus asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"A concussion too…" the woman whispered, shaking her head. "My dear, I am the Matron of the school. You're in the hospital wing."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Of course I know I'm in the hospital wing. I'm not daft. It's just, I've never seen you before. It's always been Madame Longbottom."

"… No Longbottom has ever served as Matron of Hogwarts. I am going to get Professor Dumbledore. You stay put." With that, the young woman ran out of the hospital wing. Professor Dumbledore? He's been dead for more than twenty years. Am I losing my mind? Albus asked himself this question only once and that was when he was hit by a bludger in a Quidditch game by a Slytherin beater. The buffoon hit it towards the stands…

Albus stayed put, as it was the smartest option. A couple of minutes later, the Matron came back with an elderly wizard. His robes were a rather bright shade of purple with star patterns. Usually, Professor Longbottom wore a shirt and trousers.

 _Well shite, he's alive. Does that mean I'm…time travelling?_ _If that's the case, I cannot reveal my identity lest I rupture the space-time continuum,_ Albus thought.

"Hello, Mister…"

"My name is Jeremy Reeves," Albus said, trying to keep his voice steady with the lie.

"Mister Reeves… It has come to my attention that you do not know Madame Pomfrey, while all of the students at Hogwarts know the Matron very well, unfortunately." At the statement, the Matron frowned but said nothing.

"Look, I don't attend Hogwarts. Well… I am now, as you can see by my robes. I think I accidentally got issued Slytherin robes instead of plain ones. Uh… I've never seen Madame Pomfrey work here before because I just got here. And, um…" Albus's tone was uneven.

"Mister Reeves, I know you are not telling me the truth. It is okay to reveal yourself to me. I will not harm you." Dumbledore looked at Albus warmly.

Knowing that his lying skills were horrible, Albus decided that it would be in his best interest to tell Professor Dumbledore the truth. "My name is Albus Severus Potter. I am from the year 2022. Currently, I am a fourth year Slytherin at Hogwarts. My father is Harry Potter, and my mother is Ginny Weasley." Madame Pomfrey looked at him with wide eyes. What year was he in? Is he going to see his father while at school?

"You have travelled back in time it seems. The current year in this dimension is 1974." Dumbledore now had a curious look in his eyes, making Albus feel rather uneasy.

"1974… That means my father hasn't been born yet."

"Yes, but your grandfather and grandmother are attending the school. In their fourth year as well. I would advise you to devise a better fake identity and try to distance yourself from your grandparents. It doesn't appear that you need a glamour because oddly, you do not look like either one of your family members."

"Sir, that's good and all, but I want to go back to my time."

"I am afraid I do not know a way to send you back."


	2. Introductions

Whispers were going around the Great Hall about a new transfer student from Ilvermorny. Students were finding it very peculiar that a fourth year would be transferring into Hogwarts in the latter half of the year. Honestly, Albus... _Jeremy Reeves_ was thinking that himself. _Great backstory, Dumbledore._ "Won't attract attention, my arse," Albus muttered as he stood by the head table, watching students glance up at him in wonder. One glare from him, and their heads were turning 180 degrees the other direction.

"Settle down, students. As I had stated before dinner was served, we have a new student joining us, transferring from Ilvermorny. I would like all of you to welcome Jeremy Reeves with open arms." Some students started clapping, namely from the Hufflepuff table, but Albus focused on the Slytherin table where they were muttering 'Mudblood' and other such slurs. He frowned and thought about how awful his house was before the war.

"Mr. Reeves, please go sit, and the Sorting Hat will place you in your new house," Professor Mcgonogall said as she came around the Head Table. Albus tentatively sat on the stool, feeling like a first year all over again. The hat was placed firmly on his head, and he could already hear the its confusion. "...You are not from this time, are you? Hmmmm... interesting. Very interesting. A future Slytherin... Well, let's see how you fare in the older version of your house... SLYTHERIN!" A couple of claps could be heard from the Slytherin table, but the rest of the hall went quiet, and then, the muttering erupted again.

Albus, trying hard not to flush in embarrassment from the cold welcome, sat at the edge of the Slytherin table closest to the professors. Best not to stir up trouble this early in his 'time travels.'

"It'll pass over soon," said a black haired boy next to him.

"I hope you're right," replied Albus.

"My name is Regulus Black. Third year, but I am in most of the advanced classes with the fourth years. It's my ambition to get out of this school as soon as possible," the boy said confidently.

"Why? This school boring you already?" Albus asked with smirk.

"There are many things that await outside of these castle walls. I wouldn't want to miss out on them."

"Interesting." Albus saw the prefects standing up. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Black. I'll see you again some time." _He must be related to Sirius Black_ , he thought. Harry Potter's godfather was never a popular topic in the house because he became heavily depressed afterwards, but he thought it was his duty to remind his kids about how amazing and brave Sirius was. But, Sirius was nothing like Regulus Black...

"You just might," Regulus said, breaking Albus out of his thoughts. He stayed longer for dinner while Albus followed the prefects, appearing to be a seemingly lost and dazed new student when, in fact, he knew exactly where his common room was.

"The password is _slubabor_. My name is Rabastan Lestrange, fifth year prefect. If you find any difficulties in school, dorm life, fellow housemates... don't ask me; ask the sixth year prefects. Good night, _Reeves_ ," the older boy spat out. Albus raised an eyebrow as Lestrange walked away. _Does anyone hear know manners?_

There was hardly anyone in the common room, except for some seventh years studying feverishly for the N.E.W.T.s coming up. Then, he saw a younger boy, sat in leather chair in front of the roaring fireplace. His hair shielded his face like a curtain as he read a book. Al knew he was going to be stuck here indefinitely, so he might as well make some friends. "Um, excuse me?"

The boy looked up with a bored expression. "Need something?" he said quietly.

Albus felt uncomfortable, but he kept pushing forward. "I'm sure you saw me at the Great Hall. I'm not that familiar with this school. Could you maybe help me understand my schedule? Professor Dumbledore just handed it to me. He based it on my Ilvermorny credits. I'm not sure about some of these electives, though."

The other boy wanted to object, but with a sigh, stuck out his hand. "Give me your schedule."

"Oh, yeah... right, um, well, where did I put it?" Albus was flustered as he searched through his robes. He didn't think that the other was going to actually help him. "Here you go," he said as he handed the folded paper to the boy with rather clammy hands.

"These electives are abysmal. Divination and Care for Magical Creatures. Switch those out with Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Those classes are a lot more riveting."

"Ok, thanks. I'll talk to the Headmaster about them. Thank you, um..." Albus trailed off.

"My name his Severus Snape." _What? You? You're the great hero that Professor Longbottom talks about in his speeches EVERY year? Dear Merlin, you look like a scrawny loser, not that I could judge._ Albus furrowed his brows, but masked his emotions and said thanks again.

He retired to his rooms, pleased to see that the boys there were sleeping, so no on could disturb him. Doing his nightly rituals, he thought about his mum, dad, and Lily, even James, his awful, egotistical older brother. He missed them. Sure, he had his fights here and there, but he could not imagine life without them. And, here he was, in another dimension, where not one of them have been born yet. _First, I have no friends, and now, I've lost my family too. Can this get any worse?_

Oh, but it can. As soon as most of the boys had fallen asleep, including Albus, many seventh year Slytherins snuck out in the dead of night to apparate out of Hogsmeade. The Dark Lord was preparing the upcoming Hogwarts graduates for their Death Eater initiation.


	3. Meeting the Marauders

_Shite, what have I done?_ Albus thought as he sat down to eat breakfast in the Great Hall on Tuesday. Regulus sat next to him, sipping his tea while he read the Daily Prophet. He looked at the new kid and smirked at his frustrated face. "Something the matter, Reeves?"

"No, it's nothing." _But, it was._ Albus changed his schedule with his head of house, Professor Slughorn, and then realized what a horrible mistake he made. He's never even taken Arithmancy, and he dropped Ancient Runes third year because it so boring! And, now he's in the latter part of the year, signing up for new classes. He wondered if Snape did that on purpose so that Al would fail the end of year exams. _Goddamn Slytherins,_ Al thought, _but I'm a Slytherin_. Oh well, if he fails, he fails.

Regulus snorted at the response from the older housemate. "Seems like something. What? Your schedule not to your liking?"

"Something like that. I've never taken Ancient Runes or Arithmancy in Ilvermorny."

"Look, they're easy classes in my opinion. If you _absolutely_ need help, I might be willing to offer my assistance." Al smirked at the response and went back to his breakfast.

Potions with the Gryffindors... Nothing could possibly go wrong. Albus sighed as he walked out of Ancient Runes, his head spinning from all of the deciphering and symbols. In his school year, there wasn't too much house rivalry. Slytherins and Gryffindors only glared at each other, an occasional prank or two, but nothing more. But, from his dad's stories, he could only assume the worst.

He quietly slipped into the classroom, sitting at an empty table. While he brought out his textbook (courtesy of extras Dumbledore had in stock) and his supplies, a boisterous group of four Gryffindor boys came into the classroom. They all sat in the back, splitting into two groups. At the first table sat a boy with unruly black hair and glasses. He smiled at the boy next to him, who had shaggy black hair with grey eyes. The other pair consisted of a boy with light brown hair and brown eyes, and another boy with mousy brown hair and blue eyes. From his father's stories, Al could only assume that these were the Marauders, and the one with the glasses is his... grandfather. Albus had the strong urge to hug James Potter, but he kept his composure. He always wondered what his father's parents were like in person, and he wanted to care for them like he cared for Arthur and Molly Weasley.

Maybe Al was staring for too long or maybe it was evident that he was a Slytherin that Sirius Black decided to make Al's nightmare of a confrontation into reality. "What the hell are you lookin' at, snake?" Sirius spat.

Al looked away and muttered, "Nothing." His response wasn't good enough for Sirius, so he stood up from his chair and strode down to the new kid.

"Really? Well, I don't believe you. Snakes always have an ulterior motive. Keep your head down from now on, and we won't have any problems. Understood?" he asked right next to Al's ear.

Al was furious. _This was my dad's godfather?! I swear, did these so-called 'heroes' change drastically as adults?_ "Look, I don't want any confrontation, but you cannot talk to me like that. Have some decent manners. I am your classmate," Albus said with composure.

"Did you hear that, James? He says I can't talk to him like that." Sirius laughed, and James let out a chuckle from the back as well. Al was aggravated, hearing his grandfather support his bullying. Then, the classroom door swung open, revealing Regulus Black with Severus Snape in tow. Regulus saw Sirius smirking and dangerously close to Jeremy Reeves.

"Brother, go sit down before I have the urge to write to mother about your abysmal welcoming manners. I know how much you love her punishments," Regulus said, smiling tightly. Sirius paled considerably and muttered angrily while walking back to James, who was glaring at Snape. The younger Black then proceeded to walk down to Albus's table. "Starting fights already, Reeves?"

"I swear, I did nothing. I looked at them as they entered the classroom, and your older brother got irritated at me looking at him," Albus explained, exasperated by the entire situation. Regulus chuckled, and Snape smiled slightly.

"Rotten luck. Well, I'm going to go sit with my regular partner. Snape, why don't you sit with Reeves? You don't want to get into trouble with Potter again by sitting with Evans girl, do you?" Snape looked at Regulus and nodded. He sat down next to Albus, pulling out his frayed textbook and supplies.

"Do you have any talent in brewing potions?" Snape asked quietly. Albus shrugged and said, "I suppose so." In his year, he was about average when it came to potion brewing. He only got O's on his potions because he would always partner with Scorpius, who was bloody brilliant at every subject. Him and Rose Weasley were neck and neck on being the top student in their year.

Snape sighed with Al's response and said, "Just don't botch the potion, Reeves. I'll do the hard work." Al was offended at first, but then, realized that Snape was going to be one of the best Potions Masters in the twentieth century.

Class started as soon as Slughorn came in with a cheery smile on his round face. "Today, we will be brewing the Girding Potion. The Girding Potion was created..." The professor talked at length about the potion that he remembered brewing earlier this year with Scorp, except Scorp did all the work. When Slughorn let them start their potions, Albus was still zoned out, and Snape glared at him.

Al was tapped harshly on the shoulder by his partner, who ushered him towards the cupboard to get the ingredients. He brought back the correct ingredients and listened to Snape for the duration of the brewing. Everything was going to plan until the Marauders put their heads close together and started whispering. Snape uncorked a vial and was about to scoop some of the potion into the vial when Sirius threw two more Doxy eggs into Al and Snape's potions. It started bubbling uncontrollably, and Albus faintly heard Slughorn's panicked voice to take cover, but it was too late. The potion blew up the cauldron and landed all over the two boys, promptly knocking them unconscious.

 **A/N: Thanks for the support everyone. I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters. When I started writing this story, I was a bit aimless, but I think I can see a proper storyline now. Please continue reading and reviewing my work. Until next time...**


	4. Ghost Stories

**A/N: Hello everyone! I know it's been a long time since I've updated. University does not give me a lot of free time. Excuses aside, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter and expect another update very soon!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. Those rights belong to J.K. Rowling**

Albus cracked his eyes open, and he saw white. So here we are… yet again. His eyes adjusted to the candlelight. He must've been knocked out for a couple of hours. With his vision being clear after a few seconds, Albus looked at his surroundings. In the bed next to him was his hook-nosed classmate. "Hey, Snape," Al whispered. Snape muttered something along the lines of 'piss off,' perhaps even more derogatory, so Albus looked away from his bed and instead, up at the boring ceiling. He then had the sudden realization that he couldn't feel his left arm. He sat up in alarm and screamed for Madam Pomfrey. The Matron hurriedly came over to his bed. "Mr. Reeves! It's currently ten o'clock at night. What on earth are you screaming for?"

"Why can't feel my arm?!" Albus didn't look up at her, still staring in shock at his arm.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "The nasty explosion you and Mr. Snape experienced knocked you both unconscious and paralyzed. I only knew that because both you and him were stiff as boards when Professor Slughorn levitated both of you to the Hospital Wing. I expect your left arm needs more time to regain feeling since it might've been the point of impact. Next time you have any worries in the evening, please do take into consideration that you are not the sole occupant of this ward. Goodnight Mr. Reeves. If you are hungry, call out to Pokey. She will bring you something from the kitchens." The Matron turned around to walk to her office as Al sat there dumbfounded. _House-elves? These were truly barbaric times…_

While talking to Madam Pomfrey, Albus hadn't realized that his potions partner had woken up, rather unhappily, due to his scream. But, Snape didn't make a single sound until after the matron left. "Reeves, must you be a constant annoyance? And, for Merlin's sake, call out to the house-elf. I'm starving."

Albus looked at Snape with a dead smile. "Aren't you always so cheerful?" Al said with dripping sarcasm, which didn't go amiss with Snape as he sneered at Albus. The night at the hospital remains uneventful after that, and the two drift off to sleep. But, Albus had a sneaking suspicion that today would not be just an occasional event.

"So, how was the night with Snape?" Regulus asked with a smirk as he sat down next to Albus, who had his head in the Arithmancy textbook. Albus looked up from the book and glared at his 'friend,' he assumed. "Nothing eventful happened, if that's what you're fishing for," Albus said pointedly.

"Oh, I wasn't asking for myself. His merry-band of tutored students were missing their Wednesday dark arts lesson, and they're asking for your head in a jar." Albus gave a questioning glance at Regulus, which Regulus saw. "Yes, Severus Snape, a half-blood gives pure-bloods lessons in magic."

"That's not why I'm confused. Dark Arts? Isn't that illegal?"

"Illegal? The only three spells that you'll truly be caught for are the Unforgivables. I'm sure your mudblood self at least knows those." Albus rolled his eyes. Of course, he knew those spells. His father made sure to drill him and his siblings about them at an early age. However, the fact that students in his house felt that the Dark Arts were not punishable was, to him, a bit naive.

The food was cleared from the table, and Albus left the dining hall to attend his Arithmancy class. He was walking alone in the hall as there was still a lot of time to kill in between breakfast and the first class. His head was still in the textbook, trying to soak up all the information from the first term's chapters, but he stopped abruptly in his tracks after seeing a ghost in front of him. Normally, any student who walked the halls of Hogwarts paid no mind to the ghosts (except for Peeves and the Bloody Baron, of course), but Albus didn't recognize this ghost at all. He didn't have any information on of ghosts vanishing after a long time, but if that was the case, the original ghosts wouldn't be roaming the halls in 21st century. Moreover, this ghost's appearance differed greatly from the usual ghosts. This one had a particular reddish hue around its figure and was not as transparent as the others.

Not knowing what to do, Albus waved at the phantom, trying to cut through the awkwardness. The ghost cocked its- her head as if trying to determine what Albus was doing. She then floats towards Albus, an inch away from his body and says, "You need to fix what you have done. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't- where am I? This is not the place of my death… I'm dead?" The ghost started shaking her head violently, and Albus stared at her, not knowing what to do. Before he could say anything, she disappeared from the hall. Albus scanned the corridor for her but couldn't find her. The students started filing in, so Albus went back to walking towards his class.

His studying was for naught as his mind kept traveling to the altercation with the alien ghost. What did she mean that she shouldn't belong here? What did Albus do? Regulus kept glancing at him, wondering when he would stop staring blankly at the empty piece of parchment. "Oi, I'm not letting you borrow my notes if you don't even bother to pay attention in the class," Regulus threatened. Still no budge from Albus. Regulus was concerned, which wasn't a very usual occurrence. "Go to the hospital wing if you're not feeling well. Dear Merlin, you look like some of the residents in the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo's. Go."

Al agreed halfheartedly and excused himself from the classroom. He desperately hoped that he wouldn't see the phantom again. He walked up to the ward and knocked on Madam Pomfrey's office door. She stepped out and immediately became concerned with Albus's pallor. "Mr. Reeves, what is the matter? Feeling feverish? Were you hit with a spell, a potion spilled on you? …"

Al furrowed his brows, staring at castle floor. "Madam Pomfrey, I need… to talk to Professor Dumbledore. He's the only one who can help me." He then looked up at the Matron. "Please, it's urgent."

Poppy scanned the student up and down for any visible ailment and then, nodded. "The password is Every Flavour Beans. Are you absolutely certain I cannot do anything for you?" The student shook his head and walked out of the hall. Poppy stared at the time-traveler as he left and mentally noted to check the library for any side effects associated with time travel over a long period of time.

After he left the office, Al dashed towards the gargoyle and made his way to the Headmaster's office. He knocked on the large door and quietly entered the office. The headmaster sat at his desk, looking over some records from the latest governors' meeting. "Ah, Mr. Reeves, what might I be of assistance for you today?"

"Professor- ." Albus tried collecting his thoughts. "I believe I saw a ghost that does not belong in this castle. There were no other witnesses, before you ask."

Dumbledore looked at the student for a moment. "Yes, that does seem a bit out of the usual, even for Hogwarts. Is there anything else about this ghost that concerned you?" Al nodded and spoke about the words the phantom woman told him. The headmaster folded his hands on his desk. "What I can hypothesize is that somehow, this ghost is linked with your time traveling."

Al looked at the headmaster inquisitively. "But, I don't understand how my time-traveling would create a ghost? The link seems a bit far-fetched." He gave a nervous chuckle.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the only plausible reason. Somehow, your time-traveling is already altering the fabric of our dimension. You have not disrupted anything in your timeline or anyone else's, have you?"

"Not knowingly, sir. The only thing would be them knowing an additional Slytherin student." Al tried to recall if any of his actions could have been impactful. No serious injury was inflicted on Snape during the potions accident, so other than that, nothing eventful happened during the few days he was here. He looked up at his namesake with a concerned expression. "If I stay in this time period for any longer, will more of this happen? I mean, what if I unknowingly killed that woman? I don't want that to happen to anyone else!"

You said that this ghost looked different than our Hogwarts ghosts, correct? If that's the case, she isn't a product of any natural death. From what I have seen and read, ghosts only appear in one form. Not even poltergeists look very much different from ghosts. Therefore, this phantom could possibly not even be a phantom. Nevertheless, if you see this woman again, Mr. Potter, I implore you to seek me out. You may not be my student in the future, but you are now. And, I will not let any harm come upon you." Professor Dumbledore gave a warm smile to Albus, who still felt uneasy about the ordeal. But, certainly, the visit to the headmaster helped his mental state. He left the office and made his way to the dungeons. On his way down, he saw many of his housemates in an empty classroom, huddled together as if plotting a scheme, and in the middle sat Snape.


	5. Friends and Enemies

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Albus was perplexed to say the least. He just could not understand why Severus Snape was held in such a high esteem with the Hogwarts staff in the present day when the teenage Snape skived off classes to meet up with his band of misfits- correction, band of evil children to teach them dark spells that are not only dangerous but way beyond their years. Looking up from his food, Albus stared at Snape from across the table. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Regulus whispered. Albus turned to look at his 'friend' and nodded.

"He was plotting something earlier today. I saw him in an empty classroom with some other Slytherins and-"

"And what? Thought they were planning something. Honestly, Reeves, you have as much prejudice against us as the Gryffindors do," Regulus said with a chuckle. No one could blame Albus, though. His house has changed quite a bit after Voldemort's fall. Keeping to themselves, staying out of trouble, and generally being a mellow bunch. It was a huge culture shock for Al seeing Slytherin house before their reforms. His struggle to understand showed on his face. Regulus saw it as him not being satisfied with the rebuttal. "If they are plotting something, I would stay out of their way. Their feud with the Marauders is a touchy subject. Especially for Snape. Avery and Mulciber just get a kick out of bullying people. And, Rosier and Davies hold grudges for years. One minor prank in their second year, and they're thinking of the many ways to mutilate the four boys."

"This is allowed?" Albus asked, exasperated with the unnecessary feud. "I mean, the constant battle. Don't the professors see this happening?"

Regulus laughed. "What? Do prissy Ilvermorny students complain to the professors over everything? Not here, Reeves. Dumbledore turns a blind eye to everything the rest of the houses do upon us snakes." Albus wanted to say it wasn't true, but perhaps, he's getting special treatment due to the fact that he doesn't belong here. Or perhaps, the headmaster sees something in him that would cause him to care... "And, he punishes the Slytherins whenever they take action. Don't think there are no consequences, but due to the unfairness of it all, our house gets more riled up."

 _I want to change this..._ But, Albus couldn't dare risk altering history. "Merlin, this is so difficult," he muttered under his breath.

"Speaking to yourself, Reeves? They might need to add an extra bed in St. Mungo's with your name on it," Snape said nastily. His head was in the fourth year potions book, and from what Al could see from the front, the book had notes scribbled all over it.

"You know, they tell us to read books. Not treat them like diaries." Albus probably shouldn't have said anything to start a rivalry with Snape, but from his ghost ordeal yesterday and seeing a hero plot some scheme with future death eaters, he wasn't thinking straight. As a response to Albus's insult, Snape up and left the dining hall. Unfortunately, the next class was Charms, and Al was going to see him there and the Marauders. When heading to the classroom, Albus was happy that he wasn't alone in the halls. If he saw the ghost again, he would have to fetch Dumbledore all the way from his tower, and he just did not have the energy to encounter that. But, it seemed that the rest of his day was not going to go as smooth as he had hoped. Right outside of the classroom, the Marauders had cornered Snape. All of Snape's books were scattered around him, and his rucksack was thrown aside to the wall.

James had the smaller boy pushed against the wall, an arm blocking him in. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from Evans, or are you that thick in your head to not be able to process a threat from us?" James then crinkled his nose. "Ugh, what's that smell? Didn't Mummy ever teach you to wash, Snape?" Stepping back, he pointed his wand to Snape and said Scourgify. At first, Al couldn't see anything happen, but then, Snape started coughing up bubbles, and he pushed James away. Bumping into Albus, Severus ran away, presumably to the hospital wing. Albus was disgusted by his grandfather's actions. He knew he promised the headmaster to not alter anything in this time, especially after the phantom warning, but Al had seen enough.

"Hey, didn't your Mummy ever teach you not bully people? Very brave, four on one. People might not think you four are Gryffindors at all," Al spat out. He could tell James was livid possibly because no one ever called him out for his actions. "We're all classmates here. So what if he's hanging out with Evans? Can't we all just get along and get the education we came here for?"

James looked at him and laughed. "Look, don't involve yourself in business you cannot possibly understand. Snape's trying to do more than just be friends with Evans. She needs my protection from vermin like Snape. I'll let you off with a warning: talk to us again, and we'll make your life a living hell." James doesn't say anything more, but stares at Albus for awhile. Before Al can say anything about it, his grandfather sauntered off with his friends to the classroom.

Albus started taking off his tie in the dorm room when Snape stomped in. "Cheery mood, I see," Albus said, pulling the tie up off his head.

"Piss off, _Reeves_. I'm not in the mood," Snape replied as he laid down on the bed, curling into a fetal position. After returning from the bathroom, a small voice said "thank you" to Al, and he turned around to look at Snape, who stared at him. "You brought my things back. And, I heard from Lily what you said to Potter."

Al nodded and then, stood there confused. Something about his sister's name being disassociated from her last name in a sentence was surreal to him. He waved the thought away and walked downstairs to the common room. After catching up on Arithmancy with Regulus, Al stayed up doing his homework while the rest of his housemates went to bed. Albus was looking through his potions text when he saw a book from the mantelpiece fall. He stared at the book for a moment and thought nothing of it. However, after turning around to look at his textbook, he saw that he was no longer in the common room. He was surrounded by all black, and he started panicking. "I warned you, time traveller," a voice echoed in the void. Then, the phantom he saw for earlier today appeared mere millimeters away from him. He let out a scream in shock. "I shouldn't be here."

With a shaky voice, Albus asked, "What are you?"

"Earlier today, I was not aware of my own entity. But... now, I have come to the realization that I represent a hole in the space-time continuum. A hole you created by associating with Regulus Arcturus Black. He is going to die five years from now in a very gruesome manner. But, because of you, the events leading up to his death have been erased."

"Erased? But, how? I haven't done anything to him!" Albus was exasperated. How could asking for notes and in general, talking to youngest Black have such an impact on the timeline?

"You gave him a friend! All the time for books and later dark arts, but never time for friends pushed Regulus down a dark path. A path that you have disrupted. Do so anymore, and history will be heavily altered."

"But, what if I can change history for the better? What if I can prevent-"

"I am warning you, traveller. It is not your place to change the very fabric of the universe. Do so more, and the holes will keep growing in number." The woman vanished as well as the black box he was trapped in.


	6. Snakes Protect Their Own

**A/N: Wow, I'm cranking out these chapters really fast. Maybe because I'm compensating for being MIA for a whole year. Also, I've been getting nice reviews, so thank you for the motivation. Hopefully, I can clear up any confusion that people might be having with the plot with this chapter or perhaps, it'll complicate things further. I wanted there to be a repercussion on Albus for his time traveling because if you watch Back to the Future or the Flash, time traveling comes with a price. That being said, I wanted to do something original than creating a paradox, thus the idea of time erasure came into my mind. Regulus's history after third year has been erased so that he can get a new timeline. Okay, I won't be going into anymore detail because that might spoil things.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Albus didn't sleep all night, tossing and turning behind the drawn curtains until six in the morning. Purple rings under his eyes were perfectly evident in the bathroom mirror, but he couldn't be bothered with his appearance. The fact that just talking to someone could erase their future was absurd to Albus. _What if I did more than talk to someone? Would helping them with a task change their future?_ Then, his mind jumped to the fact that he stood up for Snape yesterday against his own grandfather. But, the ghost- the time hole didn't mention anything about it. Perhaps, it'll take more than a single act of kindness to change Snape's current self unlike Regulus. If only he knew more, he would know what not to do, but his father stayed mum on matters before, during, and after the war.

First thing on the agenda was to speak to the Headmaster about this. Albus took slow steps up to the Headmaster's tower, and fortunately for him, the password hadn't changed. He knocked lightly on the thick door, and a quiet 'come in' resounded from within. Albus opened the door to see the headmaster reading a thick book. "Ah, Mr. Potter. How may I help you, today?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully.

"Sir, you asked me to come to you if I had another altercation with the ghost. And... she did come back, except a lot more vicious." Albus was wringing his hands. Recalling the event was doing wonders for his mental state.

"Do go on, Mr. Potter. Did she hurt you?" The headmaster peered down at him, possibly to look for any visible injuries.

"No, sir. She didn't attack me per say, but her warning was harsher. However, she did give me more information. She isn't a ghost, but a representation of a time hole. Apparently, me associating with Regulus Black has erased his timeline or at least, his future timeline." Remembering how paralyzed he was at the red phantom yelling at him in the black void was making him panic.

"A time hole... interesting. That has to be the first time I have heard such a thing. What kind of association is she referring to between you and the youngest Black?"

"She was referring to the fact that I befriended him. The main force behind his future was the fact that he had no friends to steer him away from the direction he was going before I came here." Albus didn't want to let the past Dumbledore know of future events. That information could be dealt with in unpredictable ways.

"Then, I suggest that you... cast Regulus aside. Mr. Potter. However bad his future might be, you must let Regulus's original events unfold. You might create an alternate timeline where things might not be for the better. You may never even be born. A very extreme possibility, but a possibility nonetheless."

"But, I still haven't figured out if I am in an alternate universe or the universe I am originally from. It's not like the potion that was spilled on me had a set guideline of what it has actually done."

"Would you be happy altering the course of another universe if, say for example, you are stuck here? Regulus's future might be unhappy, but that is his fate. I ask you not to experiment with this. The consequences could be worse than ghost representations of time holes coming to haunt you. Now, off you go. Remember to not make Regulus feel like you're his friend. Do things right, and the current time hole may disappear." The headmaster then got up from his desk and went up the stairs, leaving Albus confused and a bit furious. _If Regulus's fate is to die young, and I can prevent it, what harm can that cause? I would be saving someone!_ He headed downstairs to the Great Hall and saw an empty space next to Regulus on the bench. Regulus didn't wave at him, but he knew that seat wouldn't be empty if Regulus wasn't saving it for him. Albus ignored the gesture and sat at the end of the table, surprisingly where Snape was sitting. Regulus saw the move, but said nothing of it.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Albus as he sat down. "I was saving that seat," Snape said curtly.

Already being in a foul mood, Al asked, "For whom? Your imaginary friend?" He heard some snickers at the table, but Snape didn't insult him back, which was... surprising. But, Albus was too angry to stop it there. "What, no response? I'm not surprised seeing as you can't even hold up your own in front of some lousy Gryffindor tossers. No, instead of facing the situation, you're too busy plotting something that'll again, decrease the amazingly high reputation that this house has with the rest of the school." More people were listening now, not making a single noise. "I mean, it's not just you, Snape. It's every single Slytherin," Albus said, ushering to the kids around him. "All of you are so obsessed with the dark arts and blood purity. On top of that, you make it openly known, putting shame on your house's values."

Rosier looked about ready to punch Albus and the rest were seething, waiting to say something. But, Regulus beat them to the punch. "Very noble words coming from a mudblood. You cannot begin to understand the essence of this house because it was never meant for you. I'd suggest you leave before you really understand what purebloods like to do for fun with those not worthy to study magic." Albus stared at Regulus for a long time, emotions swarming in his head. The first being sadness for losing his only friend he had in this time period. Another being disgust at the slur and at the general message. And, the last... victory because he accomplished exactly what the time hole and Dumbledore had ordered, without him really trying. He hadn't meant to unleash his internal feelings about how he felt about the 'olden days,' but now, he assumed it was for the better. Albus left the dining hall quickly. Conveniently for him, the bell rang for the first class.

After avoiding the Slytherins during all of his classes (and failing, he realized, touching the part of his hair that was stuck together due to a powerful sticking charm), Albus went up to the headmaster's office for the third time this week. He explained to Dumbledore what he had done in a rather glum tone, which didn't go unnoticed by the headmaster.

"Mr. Potter, I know it's difficult to not be liked in your own house, but if the time hole has disappeared because of what you did today, consider it a step in the right direction. Perhaps, the less interaction you have with the current residents of Slytherin house, the better, which I can't seem to understand," Dumbledore said pensively. Albus held back from revealing that the current Slytherins would grow up to be some of the most notorious terrorists the wizarding world has ever seen. "Unfortunately, being in Slytherin house may be dangerous for you, now. I know how... vicious some of the students can be."

Albus nodded and asked, "What do you propose, then?"

"I say, stick it out for now. If things get truly bad, I'll find a solution for this." Dumbledore saw Albus's worried expression and added, "Don't worry, Mr Potter. As I have said before, I will not let any harm come to you or any one of my students."

This rubbed Albus the wrong way even though it didn't the first time. The change could be attributed to what Snape had said to him the night before. "Did you say that to any of the Slytherins being awfully bullied by four Gryffindor boys that go by the name of the Marauders? One of those boys being my grandfather." Albus grit his teeth, and Dumbledore didn't say anything for awhile.

"I cannot put an end to schoolboy rivalries. These are problems beyond my control," Dumbledore said, dodging the real meaning behind Albus's question. So, Albus reiterated.

"I meant that you dealt out punishments to the Slytherins who are only try to defend themselves, or at least that was the original purpose behind their malicious pranks, but you don't give major punishments to my grandfather's gang." Dumbledore's face remained stoic, and he didn't respond. Albus took this as his leave. He didn't expect Dumbledore to look favorably upon the Slytherins, but a part of him wished that the headmaster would understand how much mental strain was caused by bullying. Enough strain that could lead to... _a bad future!_ Albus realized that he couldn't ask Dumbledore to change his ways. Doing so would fracture the timeline again.

Leaving those thoughts behind, Albus was overcome with a sense of fear as he approached the Slytherin portrait. He stood against the opposite wall and leaned his head back. Maybe, he could have avoided the place all together and just came back at curfew. But, that wouldn't work because people were still awake and active in the common room. He could have snuck back into the dorm very late at night, but that posed its own problems. If only he had kept the Marauder's Map he stole from his brother the one night he decided to sneak down into the kitchens for a snack. No, he couldn't run away from his problems. That's not how his family reached resolutions. With a new sense of bravery, Albus entered the common room. Almost instantaneously, his courage was gone. Each and every single occupant of the common room was glaring at him. He was about to give an awkward smile, but decided against that because that'd probably piss them off more. So, he walked in a straight line to the boy's staircase. Thankfully, no one did anything to him, but he was still scared. He could hear voices inside the fourth years' dorm and taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open. Snape was sat at his bed, reading a potions text while the rest of them were chatting. Mulciber was the first to notice Albus as he was facing the door. "Look who decided to finally grace us with his presence," Mulciber said maliciously.

"I don't want any trouble," Albus said, throwing up his arms in surrender.

"Should've thought of that before you so blatantly showed your hatred for purebloods. Take a good look, Reeves. Almost this entire room is made up of heirs from noble, pureblood families. Avery over here has already taken the liberty to share with his father that a muggle-loving mudblood has penetrated our house. Wonder what that means for you if you ever decide to show your presence amongst any decent wizarding folk." Mulciber looked quite satisfied with himself, but Albus didn't care about what prejudiced people thought of him.

Avery stood up from the bed and put a hand on Mulciber's shoulder. He added, "Enough of that. What really matters is how we deal with the mudblood now. I say beat the daylights out of him and wish on Merlin's left tit that he dies from his wounds" A resounding laugh went through the room. By then, Snape had drawn his curtains closed and decided what his stance would be on this. Albus couldn't blame him, seeing that the original argument was targeted towards him.

Albus looked at Avery straight in the eyes and said, "If you truly feel better hurting one of your own, then go ahead." _Merlin, I should've been sorted in Gryffindor..._

Ignoring Albus's response, both Avery and Mulciber dragged him by the armpits into the bathroom. Zacharias Nott and Eddie Burke closely follow them. When they reach the bathroom, Albus was pushed back against the wall and immediately, the onslaught of punches began. The first by Avery to his ribcage, the second from Mulciber to the side of his jaw,... He had lost count by the twentieth. Once he sank to the floor, all of the boys started kicking his stomach. It didn't seem like it would end. In the back of his mind, Albus wondered if this is what Dumbledore meant by 'things truly going bad.'

The kicks had stopped, and Albus stopped clutching his head to look up at them with blurry vision. Then, he heard and felt Nott spit on his face. After that, the boys left, not a single concern for their housemate at all. Albus wanted to cry, but he didn't want to give them the satisfaction that they incited any doubts within him. He clutched his stomach and felt all of the bruises. Luckily, it seemed that his magic prevent any bones from breaking. Unfortunately, his magic didn't block off the pain, which he succumbed to in a matter of minutes.


	7. Finding Alliances

**A/N: New update! Hopefully, it wasn't overly dramatic last chapter because I didn't want the Slytherin boys to go super overboard with their treatment of Albus because they are from noble families. There's a certain expectation for them to not start scandals in their school. Other than that, a reviewer was happy that I included Eddie Burke in the story, so even though it wasn't in my original plan, I'll flesh his character out more.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

By the time Albus regained consciousness, breakfast had ended and the first class had begun. His entire body still ached, but he had enough energy to sit up on the bathroom floor. The question from last night still lingered in his mind: should he go tell Dumbledore? Perhaps, it'd be best if he stayed away from the Slytherins during his time here. Maybe, Dumbledore would get him separate quarters or re-sort him. But really, the _main_ question was, should he ignore the time holes and try to make everyone's life better or should he just let the future happen the way that it's supposed to?

Putting the thoughts aside, Albus got up off the floor slowly and started towards the Hospital Wing. When there, Madam Pomfrey asked him how he got his injuries. Albus thought it best not to let her know because getting the Slytherins punished would only anger them more, seeing as that happened whenever the Marauders got them in trouble. "I hope you realize how serious your injuries are, Mr. Reeves. You cannot tell me that you fell down a flight of stairs when there are bruises that you clearly got from heavy kicking to your body," the Matron said with concerned eyes, applying bruise salve on his bare skin.

"No one kicked me. I fell," Albus said, looking straight in her eyes. He put his shirt back on. "If it makes you feel any better, I will go talk to Professor Dumbledore about... how the stairs are potentially dangerous for clumsy people," he mumbled as he got up from the bed. Madam Pomfrey still looked at him skeptically but nodded. Albus exited the Hospital Wing and headed up to the headmaster's office _again_. Maybe he should just live in that office, Albus thought. When he had rehashed last night's events to the headmaster, Dumbledore was as concerned as Pomfrey.

"I think it's best if we move you out of Slytherin quarters, Mr. Potter. Re-sorting you is just not a feasible option. People would raise questions about why a new student that not only came towards the end of the year had to be sorted again to a different house. Getting you private quarters might help, but unfortunately, we have no vacancies at the current moment because we have hired more professors to cover the new electives. Perhaps, I can get you a private apartment in Hogsmeade, and transportation to the castle for your classes will be appropriately equipped. Any objections?"

"Yes, actually. I think I... ought to stay." Albus didn't even understand why he wanted to. "I don't want to run away from my problems. If I'm going to stay here indefinitely, I think I should adapt to my surroundings," he said bravely.

"But, Mr. Potter, this is highly dangerous. You have seen what they have done. I will dole out appropriate punishments to them, of cour-"

He was cut off by Al's exclamation. "No! Don't do that, sir! They will become more vicious, and honestly, I shouldn't have offended them like that. I judged them for something they can't control. They've learned from an early age to hate Muggles; that's something you can't _fix._ But I, on the other hand, can choose not to say something about it." _Partially because they lost the war_ , Albus was about to say. He left the headmaster's office without listening to any rebuttal from Dumbledore and headed down to the dining hall for lunch. The Slytherins were, of course, still glaring at him, but he paid no mind to them and sat at the end closest to the professors. He could adapt, but he didn't want to put himself in danger for no reason. Unfortunately, Regulus decided to sit at the same end today, but Albus didn't say a word.

He didn't have to because Regulus started speaking. "I heard what the fourth year boys did to you." Regulus's eyes weren't on him but on his Arithmancy textbook.

"And? Do you want to relish in my pain? Can't say I blame you," Albus said, taking a bite of chicken. Regulus was silent, reading the final chapters of the book diligently. When he finished, he looked up at Albus and sighed.

"I don't think what they did to you was right. Snakes protect their own. Sure, I was rather infuriated at you, but what you said didn't warrant brutality. Unfortunately," his voice lowered, "the other Slytherins don't particularly look kindly upon people who go against their opinions on blood rights."

"But, I thought you believed in blood rights and such..." At least Albus assumed from Regulus's rebuttal to his outburst.

"What I said yesterday was a front. I did somewhat believe in pureblood supremacy... because my mother does. We grew up with those ideas, but my thoughts have changed quite a bit after Sirius came to Hogwarts. Unlike in Slytherin, there are many muggleborns in Gryffindor, and they're... brilliant." Albus's eyes flew wide open. "Not saying you lot are more amazing than purebloods, but Sirius has told me a lot about your kind, and they aren't as idiotic and weak as us purebloods think. Being so disconnected from magic your entire life and then, being put into this world and _surviving_... that takes a lot. That being said, don't pull an outburst like yesterday _ever again_." Regulus got up from the table and walked out of the dining hall, leaving Albus thinking. With Regulus being like this, there was no way he became a death eater, but that's what the time hole was hinting at.

Albus's eyes wandered down the table, and he saw Snape stealing glances at him. "Need something?" Albus called out. The rest of the table stared at him, but Snape looked away as his cheeks reddened. After five minutes, Snape left the dining hall, and Albus followed him. Snape stopped near an empty classroom and walked in, leaving the door open. Albus took this as an invitation in. "You haven't answered my question," he said entering the classroom. "Do you need something from me?" Snape stood with his back to Albus, and he said something unintelligible. "Say again?" Albus asked, furrowing his brows.

"I said, I was checking something. I didn't follow the boys into the bathroom, so I wasn't aware of how much damage was inflicted on you." Snape turned around and ushered towards Albus's noticeable face bruises.

"Oh," Albus said, touching his face. "It was much worse, but Madam Pomfrey works wonders."

"I know," Snape said, looking down at his worn-out shoes. "I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't beat the piss out of me."

"...Yeah, but I didn't exactly do anything to stop it." So, Snape regretted being a bystander? That's... odd, compared to the way he'd been acting ever since Albus met him. Also, Snape didn't seem the type to apologize. Whatever he did, it seemed to be with the intent he wanted. So, that meant that he... wanted to be nice to Albus. But, _why?_

"Why are you being nice to me? My outburst was against you, mainly. I made fun of you because of how you handled the Marauders and because of your _schemes_."

"Well, you saw on a bad day with Potter and his gang, so I can't blame your perception. As for the _schemes_ , I have a free period at that time and so do some of the people I help with classes..."

"Dear Merlin, I'm an idiot. Sorry for assuming that you're some sort of..." _dark wizard_ , Albus wanted to say, but he held back.

"Some sort of what, _Reeves_?" Snape said with a glare.

"Nothing! Nothing that matter anyways... Can we call a truce?" Albus said, sticking out his hand. Snape looked hesitant at first, but then he nodded and shook Al's outstretched hand. "Ok, great... Um, I'll see you in class, yeah?"

"Yeah... try not to blow up the potion today." Albus gave a small smile and proceeded to exit the classroom. "Wait!" Albus turned around to see Snape closer to him. "Be careful with Eddie Burke. He's related to the man who cofounded Borgin and Burke's. As much as the Slytherins admire the shop, no good can come out of actually running that business." In the present day, Borgin and Burke's was uprooted from Knockturn Alley, and a book shop replaced it. However, Harry Potter had told enough stories to his son about the horrific items that were sold and bargained for in the shop. Albus nodded in understanding and left the classroom.

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter. I've hit a block as to where I want to go next. I have an ending; it's just the middle meat that's missing.**


	8. Hard Decisions

**A/N: So... I haven't updated in awhile, and I apologize profusely. I've been bogged down with university and honestly, forgot I was writing this in the first place. BUT, luckily the writer's block is gone, and I've planned out the next few chapters so bear with me.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Albus kept looking around corners as he walked down the corridor to the common room, partly to watch out for his evil housemates, but also for the time-hole ghost. His unintentional fight with Regulus didn't dissolve the friendship as he had presumed it would, and now even Snape considers him as... an acquaintance? Whatever it was, Albus was changing the future, and he was nervous. Moreover, Snape has gotten him worried with this Burke fellow. There was nothing about him in the war records, so clearly he was unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but Burke was now on his radar.

Just then, chains started rattling on the ground next to him, and Al jumped out of fright. But, it was only the Bloody Baron, who was now looking suspiciously at Albus. The ghost floated away, and the boy sighed. "Now, _all_ ghosts scare me," Al muttered, approaching the common room. Before he said the password, the portrait swung open to reveal his greasy-haired potion partner. "Hi Severus," Al greeted.

Snape smirked at him and asked, " _Severus?_ Are we on a first name basis, Reeves?"

Albus chuckled. "I thought we're close enough as potion partners to address each other by our given names. Is my presumption wrong?"

Snape gave a small smile, and it genuinely made Albus happy. But, then the noise of Mulciber and Avery's booming voices coming from the end of the hallway made Snape drop his smile. Albus looked at him skeptically, but decided to question him later because he needed to find some corner of the common room so that the two boys wouldn't see him. He ran passed the couple kissing feverishly on the couch in front of the fireplace and sat at the desk near the closest window. Sure enough, the two bullies didn't notice Al, and he let out a small sigh of relief. Turning his head towards the door, he saw Snape reenter the classroom and walking towards him.

"I thought you were leaving?" Albus asked, furrowing his brows.

Snape replied, "I _was_ , but I wanted to make sure you were okay..." His voice was quiet, as if trying to make his concern less significant. "Not that I care about you, _Reeves_. I just don't want more unnecessary drama in the house."

Albus gave him a small smile, but was skeptical at the response. Snape didn't leave for another reason. "Thanks for the concern, but I know that you have another reason. Spill. I'm the last person to judge you."

"... They don't like me going off on my own."

"Excuse me?"

"Avery and Mulciber consider me to be part of their _team_. If I go off and do my own thing, no matter what is, they hate it."

"What do they do if you 'disobey' them?"

Severus was silent, and Albus thought to himself that he wasn't the only one receiving brutal punishments from his housemates. The other boy went to the desk next to his and sat down. Albus knew that Severus wanted the conversation over, so he respected the decision. After the two finished their work, Severus went up to the dormitory first. Albus waited a bit.

If he was to be honest to himself, he wanted to see the time hole again. He wanted it to give him answers. He waited for thirty minutes, and the apparition was nowhere to be seen. Softly sighing, he packed up his things and put the rucksack over his shoulder. He looked out the window for a brief second and saw something floating. Moving the desk aside so that he could get closer to the window, Albus saw that the floating figure was the time-hole apparition. She opened her eyes as she neared the window and looked at him. "Can you hear me?" Al asked.

The apparition nodded. "Why am I still here, time-traveller? Did you not hear my warning?" she asked.

"I heard your warning loud and clear, and I have decided... that I do not care. These people need my help. I don't care if it changes the future; I just want the people who deserve happiness to _receive_ it. Regulus and Severus... need my help."

The apparition was silent for a moment and then, said, "Very well, Mr. Potter. Do as you will, but do bear in mind that you may erase your existence by helping young Severus achieve happiness. You have been _warned_." Honestly, Albus was expecting more objection to his blatant disregard for the fragility of the space-time continuum, but the apparition's words concerned him. What does Snape have anything to do with him being born? Pushing it aside as a problem for the next day, Albus went up to his sleeping quarters and was satisfied that all of the boys were sound asleep.

Albus's curtains were jerked open, and his body was being shaken. Blinking rapidly, Albus saw the blurry figure of Snape and got up slowly. "We're going to be late for breakfast," the other boy stated. "I waited to wake you after the other boys were gone."

Al, leaning against the bedpost, looked at Snape and muttered a thanks. Getting prepared for the day quickly, the two boys ran out of the dungeon up to the dining hall. Snape started walking ahead of him, and Albus asked, "Hey, why are you speeding up?"

"I get it if you don't want to sit with me. Avery and Mulciber like to keep me within arm's distance."

Al, after making his resolution last night, said, "I don't care. I will gladly sit next to you." The pair then walked together into the dining hall and sat down. Al ushered towards Regulus to come join them, which the boy did. "Decide to sit with Severus today. Hope you don't mind," Al said, looking up at Regulus who was about to sit down next to him.

After finishing his breakfast, Al looked at Snape who was writing down notes from his Potions text and then, at Regulus who was reading his Charms text. He smiled, seeing his two _friends._ He wasn't totally alone in this timeline, and he was going to try his damnedest to make sure these two have a good future. He didn't care that Avery and Mulciber glared at him the entire time; he was too happy.

But, that happiness was shot in the foot when he saw Snape look up from his textbook to stare at something across the hall. Al turned around slightly to see that the object across the hall was a person - his _grandmother_. He knew that Snape was friends with Lily Evans, but the look in the other boy's eyes was not a look of friendliness but of longing. Now, he knew exactly what the apparition was warning him about. True happiness for Snape was Lily. And, if Lily ended up with Snape instead of James, Harry Potter would never be born... and neither would he or his siblings.


	9. Lily Among Thorns

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Albus leaned back against his chair, pursing his lips at a piece of parchment on the desk in the corner. _His_ desk in the corner. That piece of parchment contained a list. _A list of goals_ , Albus told himself as he twirled a quill in his hand. He felt the need to add more, but he felt that the overwhelming stress already consuming him couldn't possibly get worse. Hunching over the parchment, he looked at the goals closely.

 _1\. Maintain friendship with Regulus_

 _2\. Watch out for the 'unsaveable bad guys'_

 _3\. Avoid Burke, especially_

 _4\. Save Severus (without erasing myself from existence)_

The fourth goal was the main source for Albus's stress and the reason he might develop premature wrinkles from frowning. If he made Snape achieve ultimate happiness, then his father would cease to exist. Moreover, if Harry Potter isn't born, the entire history of the war would change, and as much as Albus wanted to gamble with time, the meat of the war wasn't something he wanted to touch. So, if not Lily, then what?

Looking up from his parchment, Albus turned around in his seat to scan the common room. There was one lingering seventh year reading five textbooks at once. Knowing that the boy wouldn't pay attention to Albus, the time traveller got up from his seat and threw the parchment into the burning fire. He watched it for awhile with a solemn expression because he knew he was taking on too much, but Potters do not back down. At least, that's what he told himself for motivation.

With light footsteps, Albus retreated to his dormitory and slipped into his covers, forgoing his nightly routine because of how tired he was. He laid down on the side with full view of Snape's bed, which had its curtains drawn. Albus exhaled heavily, wondering how to make such a sullen boy happy enough to not go down a dark path.

* * *

"That was your fourth yawn in the past ten minutes," Regulus said as he raised a cup of coffee to take a sip. Albus, mid-yawn, glared at his friend. "Did your dorm mates do anything to you? Left a snake in your bed?" Regulus asked with a sinister smile.

Albus gasped quietly and asked, "They do that?" Regulus chuckled and nodded. "That's evil. What if I had a real phobia of snakes?"

"Tough luck. You're in the snake den, sir." The two laughed, and Snape, who was sitting next to them, let out a small chuckle as well. But, he did wonder why _Jeremy_ was so tired. "Are you okay, Reeves? You weren't there when the rest of us fell asleep," Snape said with a small frown.

"Oh, I just spent all night looking over runes. It's not as nonsensical as it once was, I'm happy to say," Albus said with a small laugh. In truth, he kept thinking about things that made Snape happy. And, the only other thing besides a certain red-headed family member of his was Potions. As he once recalled, Snape was a celebrated Potions Master, but he ultimately ended up teaching at this school... Not that there was anything _wrong_ with his career path, but Albus expected him to write textbooks and other such scholarly things. "Random question, but _Severus_ , when did you get so interested in Potions?" Albus asked with a smile.

Not expecting such a question, Snape's eyes widened, and a visible blush appeared on his pale face. He cleared his throat softly and said, "I don't know. It's the only thing I excelled at more than my classmates."

Regulus, finishing up his bite of pie, nodded excitedly and said, "Yeah, Snape's top of the class. Not even _I_ can achieve his level of expertise, but I am in a far advanced class than my year."

"Leave it to you to finish a compliment with praise of yourself," Albus said laughing.

Snape, still blushing, said in a quiet voice, "I just have knack for potions..." Looking at him skeptically, Albus knew Snape was hiding something. Something that might help him break through to him, perhaps.

Albus put a hand on Snape's shoulder, which made the other boy's eyes widen again. "Severus, you can tell me anything. Is there a specific reason as to why you're good at potions or why you like it?" Instead of responding, Snape shook off Albus's hand and whispered, "I'll tell you later." Regulus raised an eyebrow at the interaction, but said nothing. Albus furrowed his brows but nodded.

The rest of the day proceeded without a single interaction with Snape aside from Potions and some banter during lunch. To be honest, Albus preferred to have conversations with Regulus who reminded him so much of Scorpius: vibrant and quick on his feet. Snape was more mellow, much like himself...

After his last class, Albus went to the library, knowing that Snape would be there to work on his Charms research essay. Soon enough, the hook-nosed boy walked in and stopped when he saw Albus wave at him. "Hey, I was waiting for you," Albus said.

"Stalking me, _Reeves_?" Snape asked with a smirk. Albus laughed, but mellowed when he remembered why he was here.

"You said later. Well, now is _later_. Spill. What are you hiding?" Albus asked, dragging the boy into the Charms section. Snape looked down at Albus's hand on his arm, and Albus, in response, let go.

Snape looked like he didn't want to say anything to Albus. In fact, he didn't say anything for a solid ten minutes, which aggravated Albus, but he knew he needed to be patient with him. _Think about the fourth goal_ , he told himself. Then, Snape cleared his throat and said, "I am good at Potions because... I've been making them my whole life."

"...Is this the big secret? You brewed potions before we had school training?" Albus asked, disappointed by Snape's statement.

"No, that's not why I don't tell people... I had to make potions because my mother couldn't afford potions for... healing purposes."

Albus looked at Snape incredulously and asked, "Why healing potions?"

Snape flared his nostrils and clenched his fists, which made Albus worried. After breathing heavily for a little bit, Snape unclenched his fists and looked at Albus. "Because, my father couldn't resolve arguments with my mother nor discipline me without getting... _violent_."

"Severus, I-"

"If you speak about this to anyone-"

"I won't!" Albus exclaimed, raising his arms up. "I promise. Why would I reveal something so personal about you?"

"To hurt me!" Albus could tell that Snape was trying his damnedest to not break down in tears. "The entirety of Slytherin house would _love_ to have me suffer. They hate me for being better than them in classes, all because I am a half-blood. I know you're a muggleborn, but you weren't here in the beginning years. When I had to wear _frocks_ because my father was a bum who made no money and didn't let my mother out of the house." Tears were now cascading his face. "You weren't here..."

Snape sat down on the floor in defeat, and Albus crouched down to be at eye-level with him. "I'd hug you, but I know you would hate being pitied," Albus said, with a level of maturity and understanding he didn't know he possessed. Snape, through his tears, gave a small smile. "See, that's what I want to see. A smile on Severus Snape's face." Snape gave a small chuckle at that and wiped his face with the sleeves of his worn-out robe. "Come on, up we get. You still have to write your Charms essay."

* * *

Albus felt oddly lucky this week. He had been avoiding his housemates, except for his friends, pretty well. Not to mention that he managed to keep Severus and Regulus relatively happy. Without thinking about it, Albus went up to his dormitory before the others fell asleep, and he felt a chill go down his back when Mulciber gave a devilish grins towards his direction when he walked in. "Well, well, well, look who it is. Been avoiding us, have you?" he taunted.

"I've been in the common room the entire week," Albus said, trying to keep his voice steady. _I mean, I am telling the truth_ , he thought.

Mulciber sneered at the response, but Snape had a worried expression when he saw Avery get up from his bed. "You know, we haven't gotten an apology from the half-breed," Avery said with a smirk. "Well, out with it, you filthy vermin. Apologize."

"For not treating you with respect?" Albus asked with no trace of mockery in his tone. The others laughed at his question but nodded nonetheless. "Well, then I apologize. You are my housemates and insulting you all was never my intention." The laughing silenced, and the boys stared at him in shock. They expected him to fight or insult them further, but Albus recalled his second goal. He wasn't going to start fights because they pissed him off; he had to be the better person.

Before the others could respond, Burke came around them and said, "We accept your apology." Albus looked at him for awhile and then, nodded. Snape smiled from behind his book as Albus went off to the bathroom. The other boys weren't used to altercations being resolved easily, and it was jarring to them. However, he knew that they wouldn't contest it because it was better for them to stay out of scandals.

When Albus got back and the other boys had gone to sleep, Snape whispered, "Great job, Reeves."

Albus smiled at him in the dark and whispered back, "Thank you. I try." The two boys giggled and then went to bed.

* * *

"Finally, it's Friday!" Albus cheered as he sat down next to Snape, to which Regulus responded, "Don't cheer yet. We have a quiz in Charms."

Snape looked up from his Potions text and asked, "How would _you_ know?"

"Well, there's this fifth year Ravenclaw girl I've been uh," Regulus said and then wiggled his eyebrows. Albus made a gagging sound in response. "Oh, shove off, Reeves. Anyways, this girl happens to grade Charms assignments every now and then for volunteering hours, and she told me that there's going to be a quiz."

"My my, Black. Guess your womanizing _actually_ pays off. Severus, quiz me!"

Snape rolled his eyes, but took out his Charms text and flipped to chapter twenty. Okay, what is the wand movement for _Accio_?" The boys kept quizzing each other until time came for their first class. Before lunch, the trio would come back together for Charms. Sure enough, there was a quiz in the class, which went smoothly. Albus was happy until Severus began to lose concentration in the class to stare at Lily.

"Stop it, it's getting weird," Albus whispered, and Snape looked at him in shock. "I know you've been staring at Lily, and James will begin to notice."

Severus scowled and whispered, "I don't care what he does. Lily's my _friend_."

"Yes, but she's his _girlfriend._ You don't stare at another bloke's girl."

Before Snape could response, the Charms professor cleared his throat and asked, "Anything of importance you two would like to share with the rest of the class?" The boys, now blushing, shook their heads. "Well then, try to keep your concentration on the lecture. Ten points from Slytherin." Regulus elbowed Albus in the ribs, and Albus decided to leave Severus alone for the class.

When the class ended, the three walked towards the dining hall with the rest of the herd of students. Regulus asked them, "What were you two muttering about in class?"

Albus took a deep breath and said, "He was staring at Lily all class, and I told him not to."

Snape interjected, "I was not staring at her all of class. He's exaggerating."

"Nevertheless, like I said before, she's Potter's girlfriend!"

Regulus chuckled and came in between the two. "Alright boys, let's stop fighting. Besides Reeves, Evans isn't dating Potter. Potter has just been spreading that so that no one tries to ask her out," Regulus said, and immediately, Severus's eyes lit up.


	10. Lily Withdrawals

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

Lily did a double take after climbing down the stairs to go to the Great Hall. She _swore_ she saw Severus holding a bouquet of flowers, but that couldn't be true. Severus didn't tell her about a crush he had. Lily was very curious, and it was evident on her face as she sat down to eat. James raised an eyebrow at her expression and asked, "What's on your mind, Evans?"

Lily shook her head. "Oh, nothing," she began, but then realized who she was talking to. "Not that it's any of _your_ business," she spat out. It became a sort of game, she supposed, the _thing_ between her and James. They weren't dating, _absolutely_ not, but there was definitely something... Lily was snapped out of her thoughts as her attention went to Severus, who no longer had the flowers in his hand. She saw him sit down next to new - well, _relatively_ new - student.

The new student in question looked at Snape skeptically. Snape darted his eyes back and forth and asked, "What is it, _Reeves?_ "

"Where were you?"

"Um..." Snape started rubbing his neck and avoided his friend's gaze.

"Out with it, Snape," Albus gritted out. Snape responded by taking out a shrunken bouquet from his pocket. Albus looked at the flowers then at Snape, and he sighed. "Please tell me these are not for Evans."

"Ok, I won't tell you, then," Snape said and started piling pasta onto his plate. "I seriously don't understand the big deal. I can handle Potter and his goons."

Regulus, who was quiet for the previous exchange, raised his eyes from his book to look at Snape sternly. "You can't handle Potter, in general. What's going to happen when you go after the girl he likes? No, the girl he's _infatuated_ with?" Regulus asserted, and Albus nodded in agreement.

Snape sneered at the two. "Why can't you two support me on this?"

Albus rolled his eyes. "If it was _any_ other girl, we would," he said.

Regulus added, "As long as they aren't a Hufflepuff." At that, the three broke out of their angry expressions to laugh. Albus cleared his throats and iterated, "In all seriousness, I think the flowers is a bad idea."

Snape looked at the small bouquet and then at Lily, who was now chatting pretty avidly with Lupin. Potter watched them with glee, his future girlfriend interacting with his friends. Snape gritted his teeth, but nodded. "I like Lily, but not so much to fight against him. It's not worth my time."

Albus smiled. "Good. Now can we just go back to the fact that Slughorn assigned us two roles of parchment on the uses of Elixir to Induce Euphoria. That's so broad, for Merlin's sake..."

* * *

"Black, where are you headed to?" Albus asked as he watched his friend pack up his things for the Easter hols.

Regulus rolled his eyes and replied, "To spend time with my parents in France. I mean, we're only going back for the weekend, but of course, we have to go see my distant relatives since they had complications during Winter."

The rest of the third years weren't in their room or had already packed their things and were headed towards Hogsmeade Station. Albus laid on Regulus's bed, absentmindedly twirling a quill in his hands while his friend cursed as he packed his books. Albus laughed and asked, "You actually expect to do homework in the two days you may be busy with your family?" Regulus glared at him, but said nothing. Just then, Severus walked into the third year dormitory after hearing his friends' voices. "Snape! Please tell Black over here that taking all of his textbooks for a weekend is stupid."

"I don't see any issue with it," Snape replied quietly.

Albus rolled his eyes and muttered, "Nerds." Snape went to sit down on the bed next to Regulus's, and Albus looked at him through his peripheral vision. Snape was moping, and Albus felt a slight pang of regret for squashing Snape's hopes for a relationship with Lily. "Snape, are you okay?" Snape nodded slowly. "I mean, I know you're upset about Lily, but there has to be someone or something else that you like, right?" Regulus gave Albus a look of 'cut-it-out,' but Albus had a mission.

"I like potions, I guess..."

Albus chuckled and said, "Of course you do. But, it doesn't really preoccupy your time." Snape didn't say anything, and Albus fold his hands on his lap. After packing his clothes, Regulus shut his trunk and headed out of the dorm. Snape and Albus followed him to the entrance hall and said their goodbyes. Then, there was just silence. Albus was shifting his feet back and forth out of awkwardness. He glanced at Snape, who had his eyes focused on his shoes. Albus sighed and said, "Hey, let's go to the library. Maybe, catch up on some school work." Again, Snape said anything, but nodded at least.

The two boys found a small table near the Restricted Section and began on their assignments. After the three hour mark, Albus was tired of writing his Charms essay and got up to stretch. He went into the shelves to read the title of random books. Most of them were cooking books, various charms to keep food warm or cool. He went to a different shelf, and it was a section on different creatures and animals in the wizarding world. But, Albus stopped in front of a rather thick book with the title "The Art of Transformation." Slightly curious about the vague title, Albus pulled the heavy book out of the shelf and flipped to the middle of the page. What he read was confusing, paragraphs of meditation and such, so he flipped back to the beginning. He scanned through the page and then his eyes widened at a word on the page, _animagi_. Grabbing the book, he went back to his and Snape's table.

"Severus, look what I found. It's a book on how to become an animagus," Albus said excitedly.

Snape furrowed his brows and glanced at the book on the table. He gingerly brought the book over to his said and opened it. After flipping through some pages, Severus sighed. "Interesting, but it has nothing to do with schoolwork."

Albus rolled his eyes and said, "I've always wanted to be an animagus."

"Well, you can't at your age. Ministry law mandates you be at least seventeen and that you register beforehand as an animagus." Albus frowned even though he knew this law. He remembered his mother talking about how hard his father and Uncle Ron tried to become an animagus, but they were too impatient. Then, his brother told him the basics, and he was intrigued to see what kind of animal he would transform into. Looking back at Snape, he scowled when he saw the boy doing his homework. He kept looking at the other boy until he got an idea. A _stupid_ idea. A stupid, _illegal_ idea.


End file.
